Eight out of nine political parties at the House of Representatives have expressed strong opposition to a push to return to a closed-list electoral system for 2024 legislative elections.

Speculation about a reshuffle has been growing since Nasdem, one of seven political parties in the ruling coalition, announced it would back former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan in the 2024 presidential election - a politician seen as a potential rival to Jokowi's successor.

The President issued the emergency regulation on Dec. 30 to replace the 2020 Jobs Creation law, arguing global economic uncertainty and potential for global economic crisis this year meant authorities have to move fast to attract investors.

The Attorney General Office (AGO) in April launched an investigation into allegations of corruption linked to the issuance of export permits at a time when shipments were restricted by the government to control soaring cooking oil prices.

While President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had to endure several challenges to his administration in 2022, a recent survey found that the President closed the year with a 71.3 percent approval rating, his highest since August, buoyed by the public’s positive perception of Indonesia’s hosting of the Group of 20 Summit.

Pro-government and opposition parties put on a united front on Tuesday against a push to ditch the current open-list proportional representation format for legislative elections, which allows voters to have an influence over legislative candidates put forward by political parties.

Yasonna said the new director-general could copy the success of other countries that conduct immigration reform.

Indonesia is bracing for a tumultuous political year in 2023 as parties gear up for the upcoming general elections next year, raising fears of heightened uncertainty that analysts say could derail the nation’s economic recovery.

The Supreme Court has taken several measures in an attempt to clean up judicial corruption and improve internal oversight after it was hit by a mega-corruption scandal that involved dozens of justices and workers. 

Two opposition parties in the House of Representatives – the Democratic Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) – have criticized the controversial issuance of a government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) on job creation and the government’s reasoning behind the decision.

In the brief visit, Jokowi was joined by Jakarta acting Governor Heru Budi Hartono in distributing gifts to market visitors.

The controversial issuance of a government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) on job creation could have a positive impact on economic activities this year, economists say, as it may act as a catalyst to improve the Indonesian business climate, which will eventually lead to healthier investment growth.

Ma'ruf also pledged that the government would push for a regulation that would allow Indonesian media to get payments for their contents from tech giants distributing contents, as has been implemented in Australia.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has left the door open for a Cabinet reshuffle, fueling rumors that ministers from the pro-government NasDem Party – which has thrown its weight behind opposition figurehead Anies Baswedan – will be on the chopping block, an idea that the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has supported.

Jokowi said "the reduction of military troops in Papua is good, but we need to continue to be stern," after appointing a new Indonesia Military (TNI) chief.

He has never held public office, but with healthy public opinion polling numbers and control of the Democratic Party, one of the two remaining opposition parties in the House, political scion Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) is a likely choice for the opposition’s vice presidential candidate.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) has named three newcomer parties eligible to contest the 2024 legislative election amid reports that some commission staff members were pressured to falsify results.

As the General Elections Commission (KPU) prepares to name the political parties eligible to compete in the 2024 legislative election, lawyers representing a group of regional KPU employees have accused the commission of meddling in the process and have threatened to take legal action.

Experts suggest East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa could become a solid contender for the 2024 vice presidential position due to her governing experience and strong ties to the Nadhlatul Ulama.

The House of Representatives last week approved an overhaul of its criminal code, prohibiting sex outside marriage and cohabitation between unmarried couples, among other controversial revisions. Officials say it aims to uphold "Indonesian values" in the world's largest Muslim-majority nation.

“The world would come to an end long before we could please all 270 million people in the country,” said Deputy Law and Human Rights Minister Edward OS Hiariej on extending public consultations for the penal code.

Marking the annual International Human Rights Day, rights groups on Friday painted a disturbingly bleak picture of the country’s state of human rights with a controversial illiberal legislation being passed, lukewarm handling of past rights violations and persisting violence and impunity among security forces.

The newly passed Criminal Code (KUHP) has faced a groundswell of criticism at home and abroad, with the United States and Australia warning that some clauses could frighten off investors and tourists and the United Nations condemning elements of the law as “incompatible with fundamental freedoms and human rights”.

Civil society groups are planning street protests and considering civil disobedience to compel policymakers to repeal the newly passed Criminal Code (KUHP) amid dwindling trust in the Constitutional Court, currently the only legal avenue to alter the highly controversial legislation.

The House has passed a revised Criminal Code that seems to contradict the government’s stated aim that revising the KUHP was a “historic effort to decolonize” provisions inherited from Dutch rule.

Lawmakers passed a revised Criminal Code on Tuesday morning that critics say dilutes antigraft rules and civil liberties, after insisting that they had taken public opinion into account despite civil society protests to the contrary.

Among the most controversial revisions to the code are articles that would penalise sex outside of marriage with up to one year in jail andprohibit cohabitation between unmarried couples. Insulting the president and spreading views counter to the secular national ideology, the Pancasila, will also be outlawed.

Lawmakers are pressing ahead with plans to pass a revised Criminal Code on Tuesday that would dilute antigraft rules and civil liberties, insisting that they have taken public opinion into account despite civil society protests to the contrary.

The legislature has unanimously approved the President's pick for the top military chief, who has said he will work to realize Jokowi's vision of turning the country into a "global maritime fulcrum".

The latest Criminal Code bill still contains provisions that could be used to curtail civil liberties and should not be passed into law yet, critics say, as the House of Representatives and the government aim to approve the legislation within the next few days.